Carmarthen () was one of six

local government district Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

s of the county of

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales, covering the modern counties Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. It is mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed w ...

, west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, from 1974 to 1996. It was governed by the Carmarthen District Council.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, covering the area of four former districts from the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until 1973 in Northern Ireland, 2002 in the Republic of Ireland. They are now abolished, although most Northern ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

, which were abolished at the same time: *

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

Municipal Borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

* Carmarthen Rural District * Newcastle Emlyn Rural District *

Newcastle Emlyn Newcastle Emlyn () is a town and Community (Wales), community on the River Teifi, in West Wales. The community is wholly in Carmarthenshire, but the built up area also includes Adpar north of the Teifi, which is in Ceredigion. Adpar was formerl ...

Urban District An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

Carmarthen district was abolished 22 years later under the

Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which amended the Local Government Act 1972 to create the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as ...

, with the area becoming part of the new

unitary authority on 1 April 1996.

Political control

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. A majority of the seats on the council were held by independents throughout the council's existence. The most significant political grouping (as distinct from the independents) was the Labour Party who held a number of seats in

Carmarthen Town Carmarthen Town Association Football Club () is a Welsh semi-professional football club based in Carmarthen.The team play their home games at Richmond Park. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are gold and black. Formed in 1950, ...

and the former mining wards of the

Gwendraeth Valley The River Gwendraeth () is a river in Carmarthenshire in West Wales. It has two almost equal branches that have their confluence in their joint estuary at Carmarthen Bay. The Gwendraeth Fawr ('large Gwendraeth' in English language, English) is ...

Elections

Carmarthen District Council election, 1973 The first election to Carmarthen District Council following the re-organisation of local government in Wales was held in May 1973. It was followed by the 1976 election. On the same day there were elections to the other District local authorities ...

Carmarthen District Council election, 1976 An election to Carmarthen District Council was held in May 1976. It was preceded by the 1973 election and followed by the 1979 election. On the same day there were elections to the other District local authorities and community councils in Wales ...

Carmarthen District Council election, 1979 An election to Carmarthen District Council was held in May 1979. It was preceded by the 1976 election and followed by the 1983 election. On the same day, there was a UK General Election and elections to the other district local authorities in Wa ...

Carmarthen District Council election, 1983 Elections to Carmarthen District Council were held in May 1983. It was preceded by the 1979 election and followed by the 1987 election. On the same day there were elections to the other district local authorities and community councils in Wales ...

Carmarthen District Council election, 1987 An election to Carmarthen District Council was held on 7 May 1987. It was preceded by the 1983 election and followed by the 1991 election. On the same day there were elections to the other district local authorities and community councils in Wal ...

Carmarthen District Council election, 1991 An election to Carmarthen District Council was held on 2 May 1991. It was preceded by the 1987 election and followed, after local government reorganization, by the first election to Carmarthenshire County Council in 1995. On the same day there w ...

Premises

Throughout its existence, the council was based at 3 Spilman Street in Carmarthen, which had previously been the offices of Carmarthen Rural District Council, one of its predecessor authorities.

References

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History of Carmarthenshire 1974 establishments in Wales Carmarthen